Anyway, this gorgeous album came in last week and I can’t wait to send it out to Caitlin and Todd. This couple opted for one of our flush mount albums of their engagement session and it is simply stunning. I say this a lot, but looking at an album is a totally different experience than looking at photos on the computer. Caitlin and Todd chose a brown leather to surround their album with a gorgeous cover where the photo is printed on a piece of metal. Inside the prints are mounted all the way to the edge of the page. No one will be disappointed in this keepsake!

Digital files are great. Sharing on Facebook is fun. But nothing beats holding an album in your hands or showcasing a large print on the wall. It’s tangible. You can touch and feel. It’s right there. And it really says something about the event, the person or the emotion of a photo. When you view photos online, everything is backlit and illuminated. Colors may or may not be true to form. Seeing a photograph in person, with front lighting, is an entirely different experience for your eyes.

In this digital age, it’s difficult to convince people that YES, you DO want something to show for your money; and it’s more than a disc of files. And what we offer it isn’t cheap, I will give you that. We put a lot of man-hours into these albums. They aren’t just plug and play programs we use to design these books and each one is carefully crafted using our imagination and our own creativity. We customize every single inch of every single album. Additionally, the product itself isn’t cheap for us to buy or produce. But every time I deliver an album to a client I get to watch their eyes light up, I get to see them get choaked up, and I see how having that product in front of them makes them feel. I think everyone agrees that it is definitely worth the investment.

I feel those emotions too. When I opened this package today (and I’ve been looking at these files now for about 6 months… so I admit I’m kind of tired of them), I experienced these images in an entirely different way. I was so proud of what we created and proud to showcase it for our clients. In fact, the first thing I did was run to my husband so he could see the album. I love seeing his pride in me, and my work, too.

This particular item is my number one top seller. I sell this exact product (or a larger version) to almost 100% of my couples. It’s an engagement guest book. We lay the photographs into the album on the right side of the page. The left side, along with a couple of additional blank pages, is left open for guests to sign at the wedding. It’s an amazing way of showing your guests your engagement pictures along with having a beautiful keepsake for a lifetime. This particular album was bound with a two-tone leather/suede combo (we have endless possibilities and combinations) along with a 4 inch cut out to feature a photo on the front. We recommend the 8×8 size shown here for weddings with guests up to 140. Larger albums are available for those with larger weddings. With every album purchase, we automatically include a DVD disc of all the original jpeg images from the session for our couples to archive and keep.

This is a shot of the custom CD case we do for the digital files. Recently, we were featured as a top designer of these cases by the company who produces the product. It was such an honor for Steve’s designs to be featured like that on a national scale!

It was the first time that I had an opportunity to meet him since Richelle had hired me back in January while he was in Afghanistan. He had just gotten home, not more than a week, before our session and due to timing issues we could only do the session on one particular night, and I could only do the session in downtown Olympia. Problem being, Jeremiah really strongly and passionately hates Olympia. And after my experience down there, I can’t say that I blame him.

With in the first five minutes of starting our session, we were followed, harassed, jeered, and had extremely rude/profane remarks thrown our way. It wasn’t because we were doing anything particularly wrong, Olympia just happens to be a crazy town. Through it all, Richelle and Jeremiah were able to keep a really positive attitude and totally blocked it all out. Maybe it is because they had been separated for so long, but they were more than willing to kiss, touch, and be with one another the entire session.

This weekend is their wedding on Orcas Island. I’m really looking forward to driving up there and enjoying a weekend in the San Juan Islands! These two are such a pleasure to spend time with – I’m sure the wedding is going to be amazing!

Every summer my husband, daughter and I pack up and head out into the middle of no-where, Rochester, WA, and pick blueberries. For the longest time I thought that doing a blueberry-centered engagement session and this particular farm would be fun. Caitlin and Todd told me that they were interested in a full flush-mount album and the idea to do a blueberry inspired engagement sessions born; as this concept really needed to be played out in an entire album. I contacted and asked the owners of Black River Blues for access to their property to do this session, which they graciously gave to me that particular Sunday evening. Since the farm is closed on Sunday we had the entire place to ourselves!

Caitlin and Todd are just a super intense and passionate couple. They are funny together and have a wit and snark to them that I personally find awesome. It’s great when I feel like I can just be myself around someone (and trust me… I’m snarky, cynical and just a little sarcastic), let loose and just let it play out. They also have a great chemistry with one another. It helps that they are both gorgeous – both inside and out. They are getting married next June at The Golf Club at Newcastle, and to say that I’m excited to shoot there is a complete understatement. It is one of my most favorite venues in all of the Puget Sound area… so I’m counting the days until their wedding!

So here is the session and album that was totally inspired by blueberries.

Leather recommendation: (Covers back, spine, and the left grey area of the cover)

Metal cover: (Left grey strip is leather)

Inside pages:

1st page:

1st Spread

2nd Spread

3rd Spread

4th Spread

5th Spread

6th Spread

7th Spread

8th Spread

9th Spread

10th Spread

11th Spread

12th Spread

Last page (Page 26)

Yeah. I know.

It’s super awesome and super cool.

But they really wanted to include the boat in some of their pictures as that is a really important aspect of their life together and I was more than happy to oblige. We met up at their house first and then headed out with the hydroplane towards Seward Park. We were originally scheduled to do their session on Sunday, however because of rain (yeah, rain in Seattle… go figure…), we rescheduled for that Monday. Luckily the weather was ideal and you couldn’t ask for a warmer more diffused sun light. It was fantastic and I was in photographer-heaven; two gorgeous people, a gorgeous location, and gorgeous light. <sigh> It was nice.

But these two made it fun – we tried to keep things playful (although I do think at one point Jeff actually thought I was completely off my rocker) and fun and capture their personalities and fun relationship. They have a very sexy and intense chemistry with one another, so as the sun went down, things got a little sexier and hotter.

Funny thing happened though… Christabelle really liked the engagement session I did last year with another couple. One of her favorite shots was from Kerry Park, on Queen Anne Hill, after dark. It was a total accident that shot ever happened though because where I was going to originally take that couple was closed. For this session though, we did Kerry Park prior to the sun going completely down, but that location I wanted last year? Well, it was open! So I quickly called them on the phone while driving towards the highway, called them back, and went for it. I have to say… I love the results of the rainbow light!

Note: Double click to zoom in closer on the pictures!

While my photography doesn’t require photoshop to look good or fix mistakes, it does require photoshop to produce a final finished product that is worth blowing up to a 20×40 size or to lay into a gorgeous album. Additionally, photoshop gives our images this certain amount of flare that stylistically sets us apart from the rest.

I’ve made mention of it before, but I’ll say it again, I don’t like photoshopping myself. In fact, I don’t do it. Steve has spent his entire career learning and perfecting his skills in photoshop. I remember him asking Dad at around 12 years old for the first generation of photoshop (which was an insane request at that age!!). He has always been driven and known exactly what he wanted to do and knew the steps he needed to make to get there. But he has spent years perfecting his skills and techniques. And this is what he does. I couldn’t be more proud to have him be a driving force behind our company.

Most photographers don’t have the luxury of a full-time graphic artist. This is something unique and different that we are able to give to our clients. And because of this, we are able to create a distinct product that gives clients the utmost in service, skill and quality.

As you can see from the example below, the straight out of camera file offers a great product. It’s clean and a great image for any photographer to grab. But look at the final edits done in photoshop. There is a style and flare that distinguishes that marks this photo as a Whimsical branded image.

And here is another family photo. While the original file is great, the photoshopped version just polishes up an already clean file.

When you are out looking for a photographer to fulfill your needs, ask yourself about the product that photographer is producing. Is it clean? Are they using photoshop to cover mistakes? Or are they using it to stylistically enhance an already nice image?

Investment in custom photography is expensive. No bones about it. For every wedding client that hires us, we put in approximately 100 hours of back-end work on their account. For every family client that hires us, we put in approximately 25-30 hours of back-end work on their account. Lots of hours go into making our product the best it possibly can be! But we also know that our customers are receiving the best quality in terms of a final product out there.

The shoot itself was a lot of fun! Due to copyright considerations, photographing inside an art museum is actually pretty rare of an opportunity, so I was lucky to get the chance to do this. Add in the emotion of the actual moment happening in front of me and I can tell you that it was a wonderful experience.

Today when I picked up the mail, the magazine was kind enough to send me a complimentary copy – complete with my own by line. It’s a pretty satisfying moment when seeing my name in print!

But sometimes in life, we’ve gotta put ourselves out there, and when you are running a business, the only way to get business is to go to the client. The bridal shows are a unique opportunity to meet a ton of different brides all in one space and I probably talked to 100-200 brides over the course of the two day show here in Seattle. Add in my time at the Tacoma Bridal Expo last week and I was introduced to a ton of people. These bridal shows and a big ad in Seattle Bride Magazine are my two big marketing pushes this year so I’m anticipating a lot of exciting opportunities to come my way soon.

Even though the shows put me in an uncomfortable position, I also have to admit that once I find people at the show I click with, it makes the experience much more enjoyable. I met so many brides with whom I felt these great connections and felt like I could rock-out their wedding. On top of that, I met some great industry peep’s who I just know I’m keeping in close contact with. It’s always nice to have people around you that you can trust and rely on… and I definitely found some people like that this past weekend.

So my New Year’s resolution this year was that in addition to blogging two times weekly (which I managed to do pretty consistently last year!), every post gets a picture. So here is my Seattle Bride Magazine ad that you should be looking for; coming out this week!

This got me thinking about how every time I meet with a bride, they ask me “How do I know if my photographer is good?”

It’s a legitimate question since most brides see pictures in a photographers portfolio that they like and hire the photographer from there. Most of the time, they’ve found 1 or 2 particular pictures in that portfolio that they end up fixating upon, they price shop around and compare photographers based solely on pricing and/or packages, and make a choice from there. Unfortunately, this system is probably one of the worst ways of selecting a photographer and one of the quickest ways to be disappointed after the wedding.

Unfortunately, the rise of the digital SLR camera has created a photographer out of every person who buys a camera. While I truly enjoy looking at pictures that my friends take, and some people are quite skilled, there are a lot of people charging for wedding photography who have no business charging because their skill level just isn’t there. And unfortunately, it’s the poor bride and groom who end up getting taken for a ride when their pictures turn out mediocre or even just plain bad at the end of the day. So here are some things to think about when choosing your photographer:

1) The Use of Light
Photography is nothing if not the use and manipulation of light. It’s the key ingredient to making a photograph – you can’t have a photograph without some light. And a skilled wedding photographer knows how to use light and manipulate it to produce outstanding results.

For example…

The morning after I shot Katie and Ryan’s wedding, I was sitting at the kitchen table, eating my breakfast and flipping through Katie’s Facebook page looking at the photos that her friends had already uploaded from the wedding. I ran across this particular picture (Thanks to Katie for permission to use this picture!):

It’s a cute little snapshot of Katie and Ryan during their first dance and one that I’m sure Katie would treasure… if it hadn’t happened that I got almost the exact same shot at a similar time.
(Please note that this shot is 100% unedited and straight out of the camera)

When compared side-by-side, it’s easy to see all the differences in these two shots. But notice how much better lit my photo is? My use of light, my equipment and my ability to light the scene really stands out, gives the photo dimension and gives the viewer the opportunity to actually see what is going on.

I’m a huge user of what is called off-camera flash. I love it. Whenever possible, I’ll use natural lighting because it’s easy, quick and gives the photo a very organic feel. However, dramatic lighting creates a mood, a tension, a passion and a scene. And I love to play around with different lighting schemes to truly capture a special moment.

Katie and Ryan wouldn’t have this photo if it weren’t for my special lighting techniques.

Nor would they have this incredible, sexy and passionate engagement photo since this entire session was done in the dark of night.

And as Evelyn & Jason can attest… their scene looked nothing like how it looked on camera. And that was solely through the use of lighting, my artistic vision, and skill.

Weddings are notorious for being poorly lit with very dim romantic lighting. So ask yourself as you are going through a photographers portfolio… What does this photographer do when the lights go down? Do they have the skill to light the scene? Do they have the equipment (such as cameras, lenses and off camera flash equipment) to know how to capture your wedding? Do they have a vision to bring it all together?

2) Knowledge of Posing

Posing is a bad word around a lot of brides these days. Just about every bride I meet will tell me that she wants “photojournalistic” types of pictures and “prefers the candid shots to the posed shots.”

That is all fine a good. And I understand where they are coming from. Most modern brides don’t want to look like their parents did in their wedding picture circa 1973 (sorry Mom, you and Dad were cute though!). However, photography has gone a long way. And posing isn’t what it used to be.

Back in June, I wrote a blog article about posing. I encourage brides to take a read and really think about what I had to say about making the moment happen for a couple.

My approach to posing is simple. I get my client into a flattering pose, flattering light and flattering angle. I then use different techniques to illicit a natural reaction. Most of the time, when you ask me about a certain shot in my portfolio, I will tell you exactly how I went about getting that shot. And it wasn’t luck. And it certainly wasn’t letting the client do whatever it is that they want to do. For most people, getting in front of a camera is a very unnatural thing to do. And it’s uncomfortable. Having a photographer give you the direction “Just act natural” probably doesn’t help or give you much guidance. But having a photographer crack a funny joke (this is where personality plays a huge role in your wedding-day success), when you are already positioned to look good, means you’ll get a better image.

My friend Ashley Turner sent me an excellent example of posing and let me use her pictures on my blog. (Thanks Ashley – you so rock!!)

She had a bride who wanted those natural, candid, unposed images. So she went about posing herself. This is what Ashley grabbed to begin with.

It’s a cute picture and all. But look at the difference when Ashley took charge and posed the bride. Her expression is so much more natural. She looks thinner and happier. Her dress looks prettier, the lighting is way more flattering, her eyes light up, and the photo is so much more polished!

Posing isn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, brides spend thousands, sometimes tens of thousands of dollars on the overall look of themselves and their wedding. Investing in a photographer, a good and skilled photographer – whether that be a good and skilled photojournalist or a photographer that does more posing – is a necessity to making sure your images turn out.

And as a side note (and particularly because it’s a little pet peeve of mine)… Skilled photojournalists are hard to find. There are some amazing ones out there. But their skill allows them to not only capture the moment as it happens, but to make you look good at the same time. Too often you have photographers masking themselves as “photojournalists” who aren’t necessarily schooled or skilled at true photojournalism. They hide behind this “natural candid moment” idea because they don’t know how to pose their client. Beware… they are out there.

3) The Basic Skills of Photography – And it’s not Photoshop

Ahh… my favorite subject… photoshop. Those that know me know I personally don’t photoshop. I leave that skill and art to Steve because he is good at it, I am not (although my dirty little secret is that I am getting better at doing my own personal family pictures). Photoshop, however, is not a replacement for good photography. It just isn’t. You need to have clean files straight out of camera, and too many photographers take a photo and think “I’ll just fix it in photoshop later.”

Do you want that kind of photographer?

Your wedding photographer should have the basic skills of photography down pat. There shouldn’t be any question about exposure or color or white balance. It should just look good. Photoshop is only there to enhance the photo, tweak it a little more into a stylistic piece of art. Layering photoshop effect over photoshop effect is not good photography nor is it good photoshop work.

I often will turn my camera around to show my client or their friends and family at a wedding a photo. Because what I’ve captured right there on the camera is the bones of my photo.

So when you are looking for a photographer, look past fancy photoshop effects, and look at the bones of the photo. Are the whites white? Or do they have a yellow or bluish tinge to them? Is the detail of the wedding dress there? If it just looks like a white blob, well the photographer blew the highlights – and if they are showing that in their portfolio as the best of the best they’ve ever shot, you want to run, not walk, away. Are the blacks black? Or are they blue or gray tinge? Do you see a lot of distracting noise in the photo (does it look grainy)? Are their black and white conversions true white and true black? Or are they muddy, gray and without contrast? Is the focus crisp and clean? Is sun flare clean? Or does it cover faces and/or expressions? Does the photographer have a good grasp on the fundamentals of composition? Is the photographer tilt crazy (seriously, I once saw a tilt where the couple looked like they were almost upside down)? If you feel like you have to turn the screen of your laptop around to see the picture, it probably isn’t a good tilt.

I have a couple of friends, who again, sent me some examples of bad wedding photography. The good news is they aren’t wedding photographers and don’t charge money for this (they were just guests at weddings snapping shots). But to protect their outstanding reputation as a children’s photographers, I’m not going to share who they are.

Example of blown highlights. A lot of photographers will tell you it’s ‘style’. It’s not. It’s just bad positioning and a bad shot. Blown highlights and white space should be conscious and deliberate. Not a product of just not paying attention or not knowing any better.

Notice the bad positioning of the photographer to the bride? A good wedding photographer will eliminate distracting elements simply by positioning themselves better.

Color???  A good wedding photographer has correctly balanced photos.

4) “My <insert friend’s name or family member here> is pretty good with a camera and it’s going to do our photos.”

I hear this. All. The. Time.

This is what happens when Uncle Bob (sorry Uncle Bob, I still love you very much!!) takes your picture….

From Kara Schultz in Chicago.

And from Jen Williams in Edmonton, Alberta Canada.

A skilled professional will be present, but oddly enough, not distracting, respectful, quick and quiet. Additionally, no matter what you say your expectations are for those photos, you are going to be disappointed when they come back dark, dreary, out of focus, poorly exposed and composed.

4) Actually a Business?

This is an interesting point to bring up… but is the person you are hiring and spending thousands of dollars with actually legally a business? Do they pay taxes? Do they have insurance? Did you even think this might be an issue?

For approximately $1500 anyone can buy a mid-range DSLR a couple of kit lenses. For approximately $100-$500, they can buy a slick flash-template website. They can set up a blog for free. After shooting a couple of weddings for free for some friends, setting up a couple of model shoots with people, they can hang out a shingle and start charging brides and grooms for photography.

Anyone you hire and give money to should be a legitimate business. Meaning that they have a business license, pay state, local and federal taxes as a business, have insurance to cover themselves and their equipment, and taken all legal steps to run their business 100% above board. Added bonuses – they should be members of their local Chamber of Commerce, active in their community and giving back, members of PPA and/or WPPI (Professional Photographers of America, Wedding & Portrait Photographers International). Brides and grooms are often surprised to realize how many “photographers” out there actually have not taken these steps.

Make sure that anyone you give money to, sign a contract with, and you plan on inviting into your wedding day is actually someone you can trust. And if in doubt – ask.

(Side Note: In case you are a current client of mine and you didn’t ask me… Yes, I am a legitimate business, have a business license, pay all taxes and fees to my local, state and federal governments, and am fully insured. I’m also a member of both PPA and WPPI and often do local charity work.)

In closing, I hope this has given brides a little something to chew on as they make their decision for wedding photography. Here are some tips, in addition to the information already presented, to help you in your decision making process.

1. Photography is really one of those things in life – you get what you pay for. The more skilled and better a photographer, the more expensive that person is going to be on your wallet. Don’t price shop. And don’t discount a particular studio because you feel you either can or can’t afford them. Invest in what is important.
2. You’ll hear it again and again, but the images from your wedding are the only lasting thing you have after the day is over. If you are going to invest thousands of dollars into putting together a wedding, you want to invest at the very least, 25-40% of your overall budget into photography. Because a skilled photographer will make you, your wedding and your memories look like a million bucks.
3. Buy an album. Seriously people… Discs of images are fine and dandy for archival purposes. And I know everyone has great intentions of making a do-it-yourself album after the wedding is done. But again, invest in what is important, and don’t skimp. I promise you in 5 years, you’ll be really happy you have that wedding album. (Please trust me on this one and learn from my mistake… I’m a photographer with the latest and greatest products available to me. It’s almost 7 years since my wedding and to this day my husband and my mother have not seen our wedding pictures because they sit on a disc in a closet. It’s sad. And I’m much too busy with life to do it myself… so the project just languishes year after year.)
4. Hire someone you like. I mentioned once before how important personality is… it is one of those elements that is vital to success. I learned early on in my career to work with people and couples that I like. People I want as friends and people I’d have over for dinner. And all of my clients are those types of people! But if you don’t fully click with your photographer, move on. Even if you like their portfolio and their price. Because your images won’t be nearly as good unless you fully trust your hired professional, like them, and enjoy their company. Of any of your vendors, you will work the closest with your photographer.
5. Keep an open mind while you are searching for your photographer. You may be completely surprised about what draws you in and what turns you away.